Example output
🌎 Here is the translation from Chinese to English:
Classical Chinese and modern Chinese (vernacular Chinese) have significant differences, but classical Chinese is the origin of modern Chinese and has a close relationship in terms of origin and development.
Classical Chinese is a written language of ancient times formed based on the spoken language of the pre-Qin period, as well as the written language created by later generations imitating pre-Qin works. After the Wei and Jin dynasties, especially after the late Tang and Five Dynasties, classical Chinese had considerable differences from the actual spoken language at that time. Classical Chinese has a long history in China and does not reflect dialects, being used widely in both the northern and southern regions. It has been refined and polished by generations of literati, bringing out the characteristics of Chinese language and characters, such as sound, rhythm, parallelism, and profound meanings. Beautiful classical poems and writings are treasures of Chinese traditional culture.
Chinese students start learning classical texts and poems from the first grade of primary school. In the twelve years of Chinese language teaching in primary and secondary schools, classical Chinese accounts for more than one-third of the curriculum. It plays an important role in improving students' language comprehension, expression abilities, and their appreciation of the Chinese language.
For students learning Chinese as a second language, after studying for one or two years, they must start encountering written language. The lack of knowledge in classical Chinese gradually becomes apparent. Many vocabulary words in modern Chinese originate from classical Chinese. Even basic sentence patterns in elementary Chinese, such as "therefore," "actually," "however," and so on, come from classical Chinese and carry the same meaning. Not to mention the abundance of written language, idioms, allusions, and rhetorical expressions. The basic grammatical structure of classical Chinese is similar to modern Chinese, and elements of classical Chinese syntax can still be seen in modern Chinese. Special features of classical Chinese, such as using nouns or adjectives as verbs, like "amazing" means "to amaze" and "beautification" means "to beautify," are still present in modern Chinese. Many articles also quote ancient poems and texts. Exemplary modern and standardized literary works combine the advantages of classical and vernacular Chinese, reflecting the coexistence of ancient and modern elements. Modern Chinese cannot avoid the influence of classical Chinese, and as educational and cultural levels improve, the impact of classical Chinese on modern Chinese, both spoken and written, becomes more apparent.
Foreign students learning Chinese must study some classical Chinese in the higher grades. Teaching classical Chinese should be an integral part of Chinese language education to help learners understand the origins and development of modern Chinese, deepen their understanding, and naturally improve their proficiency in modern Chinese.
Centering teaching methods around vocabulary and semantics is suitable for the characteristics of the Chinese language. This is true for teaching modern Chinese, and even more so for teaching classical Chinese. Mr. Wang Li pointed out that the main issue with Classical Chinese lies in vocabulary, as understanding the meaning of words is essential to comprehend the intended message. Especially in classical Chinese, the function words are vital. People often use the phrase "zhī hū zhě yě" to refer to classical Chinese, highlighting its importance in classical texts. These function words are not numerous but are frequently used, with flexible usage. Mastering these function words is the key to understanding classical Chinese texts. These function words have mostly retained their original forms as they entered modern Chinese and are active in modern language usage.
We have taught classical Chinese to American students, but we have struggled to find suitable teaching materials. The existing textbooks often use an approach of "selected texts." However, selecting classical texts alone cannot cover the different usages of vocabulary in classical Chinese, making it difficult to summarize its rules and characteristics. It also fails to consider commonly used characters and sentence patterns. Within the texts, there are also obscure words and uncommon syntax. Learners may remember these idiomatic stories but not remember the specific vocabulary of classical Chinese. Furthermore, they may not be able to apply the knowledge and improve their reading comprehension skills in both classical and modern Chinese.
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